In this episode of the 'Baseline Exchanges' podcast, Andrew and Craig chat to Roger Federer biographer and tennis historian, Chris Bowers, about the Swiss maestro's formative years, the importance of family and how, from an early age, Roger instilled in himself an overarching sense of perspective.

Watch our video 'Origins: Roger Federer' here:

https://youtu.be/3NQDeTs_Yu8

You can purchase Chris' book 'Roger Federer - the Greatest' here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roger-Federer-Greatest-Chris-Bowers/dp/1843583895

This authoritative and affectionate biography traces the rise of Federer, from his first tentative strokes with a tennis racket to how he dealt with being sent away to a training academy where he struggled to communicate in a French-speaking part of Switzerland; and how he handled the sudden death of his first real coach and mentor. It looks at his development as a sportsman and how he has matured into a family man with his marriage to Mirka Vavrinec and the birth of their twin girls. 

It also examines how Roger bounced back from arguably one of the most challenging periods of his career as, following a serious illness and a dip in form, his run of successive Wimbledon championship wins was ended and he was toppled from the number one spot by his long-time rival Rafael Nadal.